Chinese astronauts arrive at space station for longest mission

The Shenzhou-13 vessel docked at its space station to kick off a record-setting six-month stay

Three astronauts successfully docked with China's new space station, state media said, on what is set to be Beijing's longest crewed mission to date and the latest landmark in its drive to become a major space power.

The three blasted off shortly after midnight on Saturday (1600 GMT) from the Jiuquan launch centre in northwestern China's Gobi desert, state-run news agency Xinhua said, with the team expected to spend six months at the Tiangong space station.